Wooden Box Manufacturers Meet at San Francisco

The first 1932 tri-annual meeting of the Pacific Coast division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers was held at the Hotel Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco, on February 25 and 26.

In opening the meeting the chairman, J.M. White, Long-Bell Lumber Sales Corp., reviewed briefly existing conditions in the lumber and box industry, and congratulated members upon the relatively high standing of the industry on the Pacific Coast in comparison with other lumber markets. Lumbermen of the Pacific Coast, Mr. White stated,'are realizing more and more, as time goes on, the value of the shook industry as an outlet for lumber and are anxious to do their part in helping maintain and develop that outlet. He referred to conditions in other markets and urged continued cooperation on the part of Pacific Coast manufacturers to the end that further wasteful and destructive competition might be eliminated. He emphasized the obligation of manufacturers to their employees, and to the residents of towns dependent upon the activities of the lumber industry for their welfare. Industries engaging in destructive competition, Mr. White said, must inevitably pass on some of their losses to their workers in the form of reduced wages and unemployment.

R. H. Morehouse, secretary of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers, reviewed briefly the work which the national headquarters of the association has been doing in promoting the wider use of wooden containers. He referred to recent developments in cannery cases, as well as in containers for paints, boots and shoes, automobiles and automobile parts, and other commodities. He also referred to other activities of the association in maintaining contact u'ith the Arnerican Railway Association, Consolidated Classification Committee, Bureau of Standards, National Committee on Wood Utilization, etc. Mr. Morehouse pointed out a number of encouraging results achieved by the association in its efforts to re-establish the wooden box as a container for commodities which to some extent have been shipped in substitute containers, and urged members to continue the trade promotion work which they have been carrying on on the Pacific Coast for some years past.

Follorving reports by the membership and second-hand container committees, the grading rules and specification committee through its chairman, C. A. Webster, Stockton Box Co., outlined the work the committee has been doing in formulating grading rules for the Association, and stated that these rules will be ready for publication in the near future.

Chairman White. who is also a member of the Box Com:mittee of the Western Pine Association, reported concerning the annual meeting of that association which was held at Portland during the previous lr'eek, and stated that he, together with R. L. Ferral and David T. Mason, had been :named as a committee representing the Western Pine As:sociation to convey to the Pacific Coast division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers the information that the lumber manufacturers who are members of the Western Pine Association, realizing that the shook industry represents one of their most important markets, are desirous of helping box manufacturers in every way possible in their association activities. The Western Pine Association, Mr. White said, is desirous of fulfilling its obligation to the shook industry, and wishes to be advised in r,r.hat way it can be of most help. Mr. White and Mr. Ferral summarized the discussion which had taken place at the Portland meeting concerning this matter, and indicated that while no definite plan had been formulated, the question of organizing a Boi Bureau of the Western Pine Association had been discussed, and it had been suggested that the Wooden Box Trade Promotion of the entire Pacific Coast might be centered in that bureau, which would maintain contact 'ivith the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers' headquarters in Chicago. The ensuing discussion indicated that many members of the Pacific Coast division did not look favorably upon such a plan, as they considered that same rvould tend to lessen the effectiveness of Dresent association activities. without any compensating ad'vantages. It was thought that more good could be accomplished by several regional divisions of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers. David T. Mason, manager of the Western Pine Association, reiterated what had already been stated by Mr. White and Mr. Ferral, and emphasized the desirability of bringing into line in support of box trade promotion, the entire lumber industry of the Pacific Coast. He stated that the Box Committee of the Western Pine Association had not formulated any plan, but rather looked to the Pacific Coast division to suggest the method which in their opinion would be best calculated to achieve the desired results.

W. G. Hyman, Pacific Box Corp., Ltd., in behalf of the Pacific Coast division, thanked the committee for their offer of assistance, and stated that in view of the situation he felt it was incumbent upon the Pacific Coast division to offer suggestions to the Western Pine Association as to how they might cooperate and assist in the activities of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers. As a result of this discussion, a resolution was introduced by C. A. Webster, Stockton Box Co., seconded by Herman Paine, Southern California Box Co., as follows:

RESOLVED, that it is the sense of this meeting that the lumber and shook manufacturers who are members of the Western Pine Association, and who are desirous of supporting the activities of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers can best accomplish this purpose by organizing a regional division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers to be called the Inland Empire Division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers, or any other suitable name, rvith headquarters at Spokane or Portland, to function as a regional division of the Association and to cooperate with the Pacific Coast division of this Association in matters rvhich mutually concern them; and also to cooperate with all other divisions of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers in matters of national scope.

An amendment to this resolution was proposed by W. S. Johnson, Associated Lumber & Box Co., as follows:

THAT, until such time as the new division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers is formed by the shook manufacturers of the Northwest and Inland Empire, said shook manufacturers be invited and encouraged to become members of the Pacific Coast division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufatturers.

The amended resolution was unanimously adopted.

Other subjects discussed included: trade practices; grade-marking; obtaining and using statistical information to balance supply and demand; advantages of adopting a uniform system of cost accounting; freight sur-charges; duties on packing materials going into Mexico; association cooperation with shippers; and establishing new uses for shook.

W. G. Kahman, Shevlin Pine Sales Company, introduced the subject of, a proposed sales tax which is now being considered by Congress, and which he stated would in all probability be included in fhe tax legislation passed at this session. Mr. Kahman thought it would be advisable for shook manufacturers to anticipate possible legislation of this nature, and arrange for a uniform clause to be embodied in all future contracts and orders providing for disposition of such a tax in the event that it is imposed.

W. S. Johnson suggested a rubber stamp, and the secretary was directed to canvass the membership and obtain the opinions of individual members as to the wording of such a clause in contracts and orders.

W. G. Hyman suggested that in formulating such a clause as was here discussed. it should be borne in mind that the sales tax might be imposed upon lumber at its source, and that such a contingency should be provided for by shook manufacturers in the event that the tax is passed on to them by being added to the selling price of their raw material.

The chairman thereupon appointed a committee consisting of W. S. Johnson, A. W. Pinger and J. W. Rodgers to take charge of the drafting of a proper stamp to be used in connection with future orders and contracts.

Mr. W. C. Strong, Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., Klamath Falls, Ore., described experiments which his firm has been conducting in connection with a new style of potato crate in l5-lb. and 25-lb. sizes. He explained the construction of these crates, which are stitched, and are so constructed that the covers are inter-changeable, and pointed out that the weight of the 15-lb. crate is only a little over one pound, and of the 25-lb. crate slightly more than trvo pounds.

An interesting and instructive discussion of the California fruit, nut and vegetable standardization act as same qpplies to fruit and vegetable containers was led by H. W. Poulsen, assistant chief of the bureau of fruit and vegetable standardization of the California State Department of Agriculture. Mr. Poulsen outlined the changes that have been made in the ,act at the past two sessions of the state legislature, and covered briefly the court decisions that have been handed down where suits were brought attacking the constitutionality of the act. He referled to the efforts of the department to standardize lettuce crates, and explained he difficulty of limiting the number of sizes of such containers due to the difference in size of lettuce heads obtained in different producing areas. He pointed out that in order to overcome this difficulty, and still re- 'strain the tendency,of some shippers to increase the number of styles of lettuce containers, the department fixed upon the plan of requiring the inside dimensions of containers not conforming to the standards fixed by the department, to be printed on the outside of the container.

It was brought out during this discussion that the Western Grorvers Protective Association, comprising the most important vegetable shippers of California and Arizona, are at present dealing with this problem and endeavoring as speedily as possible to fix upon a limited number of standard containers for their various products.

L. F. Coggins, California-Oregon Box & Lumber Company, Ashland, Ore., addressed the gathering in connection with anti-trust laws, and explained that Senator Steiwer of Oregon has introduced a bill in Congr,ess pro- viding for the appointment of a commission to itudy-the present anti-trust laws in relation to natural-resource industries, and for the suspension of such laws insofar as they apply to natural-resource industries pending the commission's report. Mr. Coggins urged the membels to communicate with their representatives in Congress, and the senators. from their districts, requesting their support of this bill.It was pointed out that the Western Pine Association has requested its members to take similar action. The secretary of the Pacific Coast division was instructed to furnish the members with particulars of Senator Steiwer's bill, in order that they might communicate with their senators and representatives at once.

_ R. L. Ferral, McCloud River Lumber Company, vice chairman of the executive committee, presided over the business session on Friday which r,r'as open'only to members of the Association. Resolutions pasJed at tie meeting on- Thursday were ratified, and the-following committe"e officers were elected to serve for the year l93I:

Executive Committee: R.L. Ferral. McCloud River _Lgmb_er C_ompany, McCloud; A.W. Pinger, California Pine Box Distributors, San Francisco; W. e. Hyman, pacific Box _Corp., Ltd., San Francisco; W. S. Johnson, Associated Lumber & Box Co., San Francisco; Herman Paine, Southern California Box Co., Los Angeles; J. W. Rodgers, Western Box Shook Distributors, San Franlisco; and J. M. White, Long-Bell Lumber Sales Corp., Weed.

Gra.{ing Rul:s and Sp_ecification Committee: C. H. Dag- gett, Ewauna Box Co., Klamath Falls, Ore.; W. C. Stroni, Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., Klamath Falls, Ore.; C. A. Webster, Stockton Box Co., Stockton; C. F. Setzer, R. L. Ferral, J. M. White and J. W. Rodgers.

The next meeting will be held in June in Los Angeles.

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